If the upcoming St. Petersburg municipal election were held today, Rick Kriseman would be elected the city's next mayor.

That's according to an exclusive poll by Bay News 9, Tampa Bay Times and WUSF Public Media.

Pollsters surveyed 809 registered voters in St. Petersburg to find out their opinions about the two candidates, incumbent Bill Foster and his opponent, Kriseman.

The poll found that 40 percent of those surveyed said they would vote for Kriseman, while 34 percent said they would vote for Foster.  

The candidates talked about the poll results after a debate Friday at WEDU in Tampa.

"You always are happy to hear you are ahead in the polls, but from my perspective you never take that for granted," Kriseman said.

"I'm not in any way concerned with that poll. It's close. It's absolutely close we know it," Foster said.

Foster and Kriseman have met for debates at least two dozen times since the primary began.

"Experience matters. I think that should be the biggest issue," Foster said. "My opponent has no executive experience at all."

"I think there is a tremendous frustration right now with the mayor’s leadership. I've heard it knocking on doors and we've been knocking on doors a long time," Kriseman said.

Both candidates say they will target undecided voters that will likely decide the election.

However, 19 percent of those polled said they hadn't yet decided who they would vote for, which could sway the outcome of the election back in Foster's favor.

The election, which is slated for Nov. 5, will be the culmination of an increasingly heated mayoral race, which started with five candidates but was whittled down to Foster and Kriseman after the August primary.

In the most recent Conversation with the Candidates, which was held earlier this month and sponsored by Bay News 9 and the Tampa Bay Times, Kriseman attacked Foster by saying that if hypocrisy were an Olympic event, "you would have just won a gold medal."

Foster fired back by accusing Kriseman's campaign of being involved with "hate mail" being sent to the city's voters.

Previous experience a big draw for Foster

The candidates are not just attacking each other, however. They have each tried to make the case as to why voters should choose them as the city's next mayor.

Foster has emphasized his track record as the city's mayor for the past four years. During the Conversation with the Candidates, he cited a recent poll that found 72 percent of the city's residents believe St. Petersburg is headed in the right direction.

Of those polled who said they supported Foster, 40 percent of them agreed, citing his previous mayoral experience as the most important reason behind their support for him.

Another 18 percent of his supporters cited his leadership abilities, while 10 percent said they supported him because he's a Republican even though the mayoral race in non-partisan.

Foster's influence could be felt among Kriseman's supporters, albeit in a different way. Of the voters polled who said they supported Kriseman, nearly a quarter of them said they supported him because they disliked Foster.

Eighteen percent said they supported his policy ideas, while 16 percent said they like that he's a Democrat.

Pier considered most pressing issue facing next mayor

Regardless of who wins the election, the next mayor is going to face several highly controversial issues in the city. The voters were asked which of those issues they considered most pressing for the next mayor.

Twenty-six percent of those polled said the St. Petersburg Pier is the most pressing issue facing the new mayor.  In close second is the issue of public safety, which 22 percent of voters said they considered to be the most pressing. 

Seventeen percent of those polled said the redevelopment of Midtown was the most pressing issue, while 11 percent said the Tampa Bay Rays stadium negotiations were most important.

When it comes to the questions surrounding both the Pier and the Rays' stadium, the candidates have not differed substantially.  Both candidates have said they want to get public input on the next plan for the Pier, and they have also said they are committed to keeping the Tampa Bay Rays within the Tampa area, even if that means the team no longer plays at Tropicana Field.

Complete survey results

1. If the election for Mayor of St. Petersburg were held today, which of these candidates would you vote for? 

  AGE
RACE
GENDER
 
  18-54
55+
White
Black/African-
American
Male
Female
Total
Bill Foster
34%
34%
38%
21%
37%
32%
34%
Rick Kriseman
42%
37%
38%
45%
41%
39%
40%
Don't know/Undecided
19%
20%
18%
23%
17%
21%
19%
Refused to answer
5%
9%
6%
11%
5%
8%
7%

2. Which one of these is the MOST important reason you support Bill Foster? (Asked of those who would vote for Bill Foster)

  AGE
POLITICAL PARTY
GENDER
 
  18-54
55+
White
Black/African-
American
Republican
Democrat
Independent
Male
Female
Total
His leadership skills
19%
15%
17%
27%
21%
14%
15% 19% 16% 18%
His previous experience as mayor
43%
35%
41%
30%
31%
51%
49% 44% 37% 40%
His knowledge of the issues
4%
8%
5%
9%
3%
5%
12% 2% 9% 6%
His policy ideas
4%
7%
4%
2%
6%
3%
6% 5% 4% 5%
That he's a Republican
13%
7%
11%
8%
17%
6%
3% 9% 11% 10%
Dislike of Rick Kriseman
7%
10%
9%
4%
12%
5%
4% 9% 8% 8%
Something else
7%
12%
9%
10%
4%
13%
8% 8% 10% 9%
Don't know/Not sure
3%
6%
4%
10%
6%
3%
3% 4% 5% 4%
Refused to answer
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%

3. Which one of these is the MOST important reason that you support Rick Kriseman? (Asked of those who would vote for Rick Kriseman)

  AGE RACE POLITICAL PARTY GENDER  
  18-54 55+ White Black/African-
American
Republican Democrat Independent Male Female Total
His leadership skills 11% 12% 7% 25% 3% 13% 11% 10% 12% 11%
Previous experience on
City Council, Legislature
8% 14% 10% 9% 14% 11% 5% 11% 10% 10%
His knowledge of the issues 10% 9% 11% 7% 16% 9% 8% 5% 13% 10%
His policy ideas 19% 16% 16% 17% 17% 20% 15% 14% 21% 18%
That he's a Democrat 20% 9% 17% 5% 5% 20% 7% 19% 14% 16%
Dislike of Bill Foster 22% 25% 27% 34% 34% 17% 33% 27% 20% 23%
Something else 6% 12% 9% 10% 10% 6% 15% 11% 6% 8%
Don't know/not sure 2% 3% 2% 1% 1% 2% 6% 2% 3% 3%
Refused 2% ** 1% 0% 0% 2% 0% 1% 1% 1%

4. What do you think is the single most pressing issue facing the next mayor of St. Petersburg?

  AGE RACE POLITICAL PARTY GENDER  
  18-54 55+ White Black/African-
American
Republican Democrat Independent Male Female Total
Midtown redevelopment 18% 15% 13% 30% 14% 20% 14% 19% 14% 17%
Public safety 26% 16% 20% 26% 24% 21% 20% 14% 29% 22%
Rays stadium negotiations 11% 12% 12% 6% 13% 12% 11% 16% 8% 11%
Building a new Pier 22% 30% 29% 19% 25% 24% 29% 25% 26% 26%
Something else 16% 19% 18% 12% 15% 17% 18% 19% 16% 17%
Don't know/Not sure 6% 7% 7% 6% 8% 5% 7% 6% 6% 6%
Refused 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1% 1%